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(On the subject of currently serving U.S. generals taking out a full-page advertisement in the Washington Post addressed to President Obama on the subject of “We advise you to resist the pressure for war with Iran”)

Let me tell you my honest opinion. Iran will never step back with meetings, democratic solutions, negotiations and discussions. The government would fall in such an event. And they in any case see no reason for it. They can therefore set that option aside. They can also set aside the military option. They cannot go to war. The only thing to do is to encourage Islamic Union, Turkish-Islamic Union in the region; for the warm and loving spirit of the way of the Mahdi to embrace the world. That is what will happen. Otherwise, let me tell you that mutual strong-arm tactics will never bear any fruit.

May Allah forbid, Islam is a system that is rather prone to diversion in the direction of nonsense. It is also possible to raise intellectual and rational Muslims. But there is also the question, within that same system, of bigotry entering the equation with enormous pressure. Bigotry is a force that makes progress by suppressing people’s consciences. For example, they ask someone, “Do you pray?” He says he does. “But do you know all the fine details?” they ask. “The prayer you perform is not true prayer,” they say. “None of your prayers are therefore acceptable,” they say. And that neutralizes the person. He eventually stops praying at all. There are people who make millions of such calculations. They make it impossible to perform the ritual purification at all. “You must not laugh. That is impiety,” they say. Bigots ultimately can become powerful enough to totally transform the religion. That is why Ataturk’s opposition to fanaticism was such a great blessing. Some people use opposition to bigotry to attack religion and Islam. But that is also a disgrace. Bigotry is one thing, opposition to religion another.